President Yoweri Museveni has opened the door wider to diaspora investment, hosting a delegation of African American business leaders that converted talks into commercial deals and laid groundwork for a formal diaspora strategy, officials and participants said.
The delegation was led by U.S. media executive Peter Brooks and included attorney and cultural strategist Amy Oraefo and members of the Super Mind coffee team, among others. The group came at Museveni’s invitation for a visit focused on trade, investment and building long-term economic ties between Uganda and the African diaspora.
Coffee formed the center of the mission. Working with Dr. Nelson Tukume of Inspire Africa, the visitors inspected processing, packaging and export logistics for instant, freeze-dried and roasted coffee. Negotiations after the inspections produced a purchase order, participants said. “You move from conversation to commitments,” Brooks said.
Museveni hosted a recorded, wide-ranging discussion at his residence that participants described as an unscripted seminar on the history of the African diaspora, global economic shifts, energy strategy and national development. Amy Oraefo said the president framed the delegation as “invited partners with work to do.”
The visit included outreach to younger Ugandans. Museveni appeared on a Gen Z–hosted podcast and took questions from hosts, an engagement delegation members said signaled that the government wants youth to be active participants in national conversations. Officials credited Ambassador Balaam with efforts to link youth culture and digital creators to development priorities.
Delegation leaders and government advisers pointed to models abroad. They cited Ghana’s “Year of Return” as evidence that sustained diaspora engagement can boost tourism and foreign receipts, and noted Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 as an example of a disciplined delivery structure that Uganda could adapt to its Vision 2040 planning.
Ambassador Abbey Walusimbi and Brooks are advocating creation of a Diaspora Master Plan aligned with Vision 2040. Proposed priorities include trade and value-chain development with an initial focus on coffee, expanded diaspora tourism, regular cultural and business summits and streamlined investment channels for diaspora capital.
Officials said the government will also work to activate Uganda’s diplomatic facilities abroad — including the mission in New York — as venues for ongoing engagement with influential diaspora communities. Brooks said the aim is to build “real architecture” linking Kampala, New York, Atlanta, Accra and other diaspora hubs.
At the end of the visit, Museveni invited Brooks to return with another delegation, underlining officials’ desire for continuity rather than one-off visits. “He did not say thank you and goodbye,” Brooks said. “He said come back. That is guidance. That is intention.”
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